Given name & surname
Ann
“he (God) has favoured me (i.e. with a child)”·“a woman graced with God's favor”
In English use, Ann has a related form in Anne. One Hebrew interpretation is “he (God) has favoured me (i.e. with a child).” In English use, Ann is a short form of Anna. One Latin interpretation is “a woman graced with God's favor.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Ann has a related form in Anne. One Hebrew interpretation is “he (God) has favoured me (i.e. with a child).” In English use, Ann is a short form of Anna. One Latin interpretation is “a woman graced with God's favor.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Ann has a related form in Anne. An origin associated with Anne is Hebrew. Ann is a variant of Anita. An origin associated with Anita is Spanish.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Ann is used as a spelling variant of Anne.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ann through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 471,625
- 1,364 boys · 470,261 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 9,068 babies
- 2025
- 225
- #1,076 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 225 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,076 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 12.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9,040 in 1957. In 2025, Alabama had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (25). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 293,049 as a first name in 2020; 1,263 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ann’s family of names
In English usage, Ann has a diminutive in Nancy. In English usage, Ann shares a linguistic root with the Norwegian form Anna. In English usage, Ann has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Ana.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ann has relatives in 54 languages.
55 related names in 54 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 55
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Hannahdoublet · English
- Anadoublet · Spanish, English
- Anyaequivalent
- Hannaequivalent
- HanaCzech
- Annetteequivalent
- Anson“son of” surname · English
- Anequivalent
Show 47 moreShow fewer
- AniMāori
- AinaCatalan
- OnaLithuanian
- Anniequivalent
- Anetteequivalent
- Annettaequivalent
- Annettequivalent
- Nüsiaequivalent
- Ánnáequivalent
- Эннborrowing · Russian
- АннаRussian
- ΆνναGreek
- Nanonrelated form
- Hajnarelated form
- Ancinarelated form
- ЕннUkrainian
- Га́ннаUkrainian, Belarusian
- แอนน์Thai
- ÁnaSlovene, Serbo-Croatian
- ȀnaSerbo-Croatian
- А́наSerbo-Croatian, Bulgarian
- А̏наSerbo-Croatian
- А́ннаRussian
- آنPersian
- آناPersian
- حناPersian
- АнаMacedonian
- 안Korean
- 안나Korean
- アンJapanese
- アンナJapanese
- ÁnnaIrish
- ÁineIrish
- एनHindi
- חַנָּהHebrew
- ʻAnaHawaiian
- ანაGeorgian
- AnnoEsperanto
- 安娜Mandarin
- 安Mandarin
- ЕнBulgarian
- অ্যানBengali
- ЭнBelarusian
- ԱննաArmenian
- حَنَّةArabic
- آنّArabic
- آنَّاArabic
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ann
- Ann RadcliffeEnglish author and pioneer of the Gothic novel (1764–1823)
- Ann-Margretactressborn 1941
- Ann CoulterAmerican author, political commentatorborn 1961
- Ann BlythAmerican actress (1927–2026)
- Ann LindeSwedish politicianborn 1961
- Ann RutherfordCanadian-American actress1917–2012
- Ann SheridanAmerican actress (1915-1967)
- Ann RichardsAmerican politician (1933–2006)
- Ann WiddecombeBritish politician and media personality (1947–2026)
Characters named Ann: Ann Ewing (fictional character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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